“You’re very welcome.”
They shared a smile. Sarah felt her eyes sting with tears. She swallowed, but Amy had noticed. She rushed back to sit on the bed with her. “What’s wrong, sweetie? Did I upset you?”
“No, it’s just… you’re being so nice to me.”
Amy laughed. “Sorry, I’ll stop if you like!”
Sarah laughed, too. “No, I appreciate how lovely you are. It’s just been a horrible day.”
“I know. I’m sorry for babbling on about dresses when you must be in shock. Poor Natalia.”
“Yeah. At least I’m still here and alive.”
Amy held Sarah’s hand. “You wanna talk about it?”
Sarah composed herself. “No… It’s just seeing Dylan again. It’s brought back all these memories of being… well, of being me.”
“How do you mean?”
“It’s made me realise I’ve just wasted the last seven years of my life on autopilot, throwing myself into my job and not facing my emotions. Burying my feelings in my career, you know?”
Amy smirked playfully. “Oh, you sound like Adam!”
They both laughed. Sarah felt her tears try to surge up again, but she fought back.
Amy squeezed her hand. “It’s hard because the future is unknown and scary. But Dylan’s a good guy. And I can tell by the way he looks at you that there’s still a flame burning bright.”
Optimism glistened in Sarah’s heart. “Has he said something?”
“You know Dylan’s not one for talking about his feelings, but – in my opinion – he’s never stopped loving you.”
“How can you tell?”
“I know my future brother-in-law quite well by now. He can be a bit silent and brooding, but –”
Sarah giggled. “Yep, that’s our Dylan!”
Amy gazed tenderly into her eyes. “But today, even after… everything… there’s a change in him. It’s like he’s found the missing piece of the puzzle. I think he’s been putting his happiness on hold, too, waiting for you to come back.”
Sarah sipped her wine. “He hasn’t said anything like that to me.”
“He’s never been good at expressing himself, has he? Adam’s the brother with the silver tongue – we all know that. But Dylan will show you how he’s feeling, rather than talking about it. Isn’t that right?”
Sarah couldn’t stave off the tsunami of suppressed sobs any longer. Her emotion collapsed inside her chest like a landslide, and the tears spewed out in shuddering sobs. She could barely speak, but she wanted to explain. Her voice came out in sniffling shudders. “I didn’t want to leave him. But he sent me away. He told me to leave so I could take care of my mum. Of the family business. He said he loved me, but he wanted to do the internship. I didn’t want to leave, but he sent me away!”
Amy reached out and hugged her tight. Sarah sank into her warm arms, and Amy rocked her gently from side-to-side. “And if he hadn’t let you go? If he’d begged you to stay and you had? Your mother would’ve died alone and that would’ve been on your conscience forever. It would’ve torn you and Dylan apart anyway, right? Adam’s said many times that Dylan’s always had a wise head on his shoulders. He was thinking of what was best for you, Sarah. You do know that, don’t you?”
Sarah’s tears dwindled and she sat up straight. She inhaled and snuffled, feeling foolish for losing it like that. But somehow the sudden purging had made her feel lighter – like a summer’s day after a violent storm. “I know,” she said. “But what if too much time has passed now? What if it’s fatal to get involved with him these days!”
Amy laughed kindly, then she fell serious. “Sarah, what happened to Natalia had nothing to do with Dylan – that’s for sure. And it certainly had nothing to do with your relationship with him. Okay?”
Sarah sighed. “I know. Thank you, Amy. I needed that.”
“You can talk to me anytime. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing quite a lot of each other in the future.”
Amy winked. Sarah chuckled, but she didn’t want to ask what she was implying – it was pretty obvious anyway.
“Come on,” Amy said. “Try on the dress and I’ll get the bath running. You’ve had a hard day, and what you need now is some wine, some fun, and perhaps a little dance with your reunited lover.”